Ben Stokes was lauded after providing yet another Ashes rescue act, hauling England from 142-7 to within 26 runs of Australia’s first innings total at Headingley today (July 7).

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At the scene of Stokes’ finest hour as a Test cricketer, England once again required something special from their talismanic captain. With the score-line reading 2-0, and England in a do-or-die situation, it appeared as if the latter outcome would prevail. Zak Crawley’s 33 was the highest score among the top seven as wickets tumbled regularly.

At lunch, England had three wickets in hand and still trailed Australia by 121 runs. Mark Wood’s rapid cameo served to change the mood somewhat, but when he fell they were still nearly 100 behind. Stokes, to that point, had made just 28, becalmed as wickets fell around him.

From that point on, it was the Stokes show, a series England fans have become used to enjoying. England put on 70 for the last two wickets, of which Nos.10 and 11 Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson contributed just 12 between them. First Stokes pierced the field, hitting Mitchell Starc for three consecutive boundaries and then cutting Pat Cummins for four, and then he went aerial.

Off-spinner Todd Murphy, on Ashes debut, was pumped for five sixes in 14 balls, with Stokes often hobbling in pain between each delivery. While Murphy then accounted for Stokes’ wicket, by that point England had got closer to Australia’s total than they had any right to.

The innings followed a masterclass by Stokes at Lord’s, with his 155 driving England in an ultimately doomed chase, with echoes of his 2019 heroics, when he made an unbeaten 135 to seal a one-wicket win over Australia, a knock rated as one of the greatest of all time.

Stokes raked in the plaudits for a mesmeric performance.

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